Prague & the Czech Republic

Best and worst sights, experiences and destinations:

Best: The Fortress
Why: The history. I walked around the grounds both in daytime and at night. The nighttime experience was very special.

Carol Fallon in Newport Beach, Ca USA 11/01/2009

Best: Cesky Krumlov
Why: The whole town--the streets, ths restaurants, the river-rafting, the views of the castle, the people, the churches--was a wonderful experience. It wasn't too crowded after about 4 and the evenings were breathtaking.

Worst: St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague
Why: The people were lined up outside at least 200 people deep--it was like they were getting on a ride at Disneyland. We actually decided to go badk a few hours later and it was crowded but not mobbed. Inside there was scaffolding and most of it was roped off. The stained glass windows were great though.

Julie in Provo, Ut USA 10/07/2009

Best: Andel District
Why: It is off the main tourist crush, but if you are familiar with Wim Wender's movie Wings of Desire, you can feel nicely impressed how a dead industrial district has become an international business sector with an organised access to most everything you may need to pick up before your next round of sightseeing.

Worst: Policie
Why: I have no problem with the police and the work they do, but after being used to the North American typical city police or the Canadian Mounties, to see police patrolling Wenceslaus Square with sub-machine guns was rather surprising and left me wondering the freedoms achieved after ending 40 years as a communist police state.

Mark L Kahnt in Kingston, ON Canada 10/03/2009

Worst: Golden Lane in Prague Castle
Why: Just a bunch of tourist shops. Wall-to-wall people.

Nova Fraser in San Diego, CA USA 08/14/2009

Best: Klementinum in Prague
Why: The tour now includes several rooms. The ornate medieval library with the huge collection of ancient books is one of the most outstanding sights we saw in this country. The views from the tower were incredible.

Chris Peter in El Cajon, CA USA 07/29/2009

Best: Magic Praha by Lida
Why: Lida is an absolute gem, Rick. I'm late in telling you so, but I emailed her on your book's advice after deciding to extend my stay and go "through the back door" after a 2007 jan.tour - she wrote back in less than an hour, booked me something wonderful (thurskova apts. near the castle) offered a friend to drive me to the airport (in the snow!) and was generally a delight!

Jennie in Washington DC, DC USA 07/10/2009

Worst: Baroque Theater Tour- Cesky Krumlov
Why: The cost of the Baroque Theater tour (English speaking) in Cesky Krumlov is now 380Kc not 180. The tour was way overpriced. You sit in the theater, take a quick look underneath the stage, and then they show you a video in Czech without any subtitles. They claim to have over 600 original costumes, but don't show you any. You don't get to see any dressing rooms or balconies, or actual set changes. The theater inside is beautiful, but you'd learn just as much by taking the cheaper Czech tour.

Sara in Farmington, MI USA 06/01/2009

Best: The catholic church in Prague
Why: Grately explained, and really good description

Suzanne Gardent in Prague 8, Czech Republic 05/11/2009

Best: St. Vitus Cathedral/Mucha Museum
Why: It's a beautiful cathedral, and the audioguide really made it come to life, it was really worth it. Loved the Mucha Museum as well.

Tracy Taylor in Copenhagen, Denmark 04/13/2009

Best: Terezin Tour with Margaret (Wittman Tours) and The Velvet Revolution Tour with Katka Svobodova (Praguewalker.com)
Why: Both tour guides were excellent! Very enthusiastic, knowledgeable, interesting, and informative. Our 2 teenagers (16 & 17), my husband and I were captivated by both women. They made history come alive!

Vicky Ramuta in Naperville, IL USA 11/30/2008

Best: Use the Tram/metro system
Why: It was cheap and quick way to get around. We took the 14 tram and 17 tram which go around the entire city by the river. The 22 was great along with tour in book.

jean Bottoe in MELBOURNE, fl USA 11/16/2008

Worst: Plzenska Restaurace u Dvou Kocek
Why: Rarely disappointed in a Rick recommendation but this was a "gotcha" place. (Guess the menu in 17 languages should have been a dead giveaway.) Had some great meals in Prague but, 2 of the 3 ordered here were way subpar. Clincher was the padded bill...two or three unexplained charges. When asked to explain, the waiter became loud and agitated and confessed the 90Kc ($5ish) was the "music charge" for the accordionist who came in as we finished eating. WATCH OUT HERE!

Cindy in Beavercreek, OH USA 11/12/2008

Best: Mike's Chauffeur Service
Why: Excellent! Arranged travel details via e-mail and Mike was where he said he would be at the correct time. With all the complaints about the train service, a small group of travelers would do well to hire Mike to drive from Budapest ( we went from there Bratslavia, Cesky Krumlov and onto Prague) to Prague. Wonderful experience!

Fran Chasen in Santa Monica, CA USA 11/10/2008

Best: Terezin
Why: The best of the former concentration camps by far but the directions to get to Terezin were amazingly inaccurate and incorrect. Just finding the bus station took us about an hour and it was right across the street from the metro stop.

Jim L in San Jose, CA USA 10/26/2008

Best: Prague Castle
Why: The guidebook told us how to beat the crowds and had great information about the various attractions. Also, the directions on catching Tram 22 to get there were great!

M.G. Durham in Iowa City, IA USA 09/13/2008

Worst: Hotel Residence Retezova worst Hotel in Prague
Why: Much better hotels are available at same price or just a bit more.

W. M. Kames in Newport Beach, CA USA 08/22/2008

Worst: Museum of Communism, Prague--the worst if you don't enjoy seeing the U.S. denigrated...
Why: I visited this museum yesterday (I'm still in Prague) and found it somewhat interesting, although a bit ho-hum. Before exiting, I was looking through the posters for sale in the small gift-shop, which hype the museum's exhbits on the former communist regimes of the Soviet bloc. Here are two of the posters you can spend your money on (I'm quoting from memory): "Paranoia, Propaganda and Military Invasions...No, Not George W.'s America. The Museum of Communism." Another read, "Go Back to the Days When the Voice of America was the Voice of Freedom."

I called over the middle-aged woman who was working the counter. After asking if she spoke English, to which she said yes, I pointed to one of the posters and politely said, "I like your museum, but I don't like to see my country insulted." She looked unsure of what I meant, so I smiled, pointed to George W.s name and said, "This is my president." She just giggled stupidly...I don't think she really understood what I was saying.

I don't like to see my country or my president denigrated abroad, especially in a museum that probably makes a lot of money from American visitors. I would feel the same way if it were Bill Clinton, whom I didn't like, being put down, as I felt when it was George W. Bush, whom I generally support.

The most ironic thing was to see this in a museum celebrating the fall of communism. The same shallow and ignorant comments that are often made about Bush, and America under Bush, as on these posters, were also made about Reagan and Reagan's America when he was assertively opposing the communists: Oh, he's a warmonger, he's so inflexible, he's not that bright, he's not a sophisticate, and, most importantly, the Europeans don't like him. Today, Reagan is given a lot of the credit for the collapse of communism. And in a museum celebrating that collapse, the same ugly things that were said about him appear on posters referencing our current president, and our country today.

Gee, I didn't know America's voice had stopped being the voice of freedom. Thanks for clueing me in, leftist European airheads...and don't hesitate to call us the next time we have to bail your continent out of a hell that your more sophisticated leaders have created for you...as we do periodically, including during the time when the communists had their boots on your throat.

Whether you're a Republican, Democrat, or neither, if you're an American with the slightest trace of national pride, skip the Museum of Communism in Prague.

I'm glad I saw those posters before I dropped a bunch of money on t-shirts and refrigerator magnets in the gift shop!

George Mole' in Bronx, NY USA 08/13/2008

Best: Theresienstadt
Why: Cell of Gavrilo Princip, the guy who shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand and triggered WW I

Geoff Bocian in St. Albert, AB Canada 08/13/2008

Best: Prague - Old Town
Why: It is said to be "the Mother of Cities" and really deserves this reputation. It is beautiful, full of sights and historical buildigs. It´s an ideal place for sightseeing, shopping, clubbing etc.

Thomas McClound in New York, NY USA 08/11/2008

Best: Private tour guide and Premiant tours, Hostel
Why: Private tour guide took us exactly where we wanted to go, showed us just want we chose to see, because you couldn't see everything, and she was nice and knowledgeable and professional, and Sarka who set us up with her was very nice in emails setting up my custome made tour of Velim, the little town my great grandparents came from. Sarka did a lot of work ahead of time to make our experience wonderful. Sarka set us up with a Czech Folklore Evening also. We also enjoyed the Premiant Bus Tour to Karljsten and Konopiste castles. A girl came to our hostel and walked us to the tour ticket booth, our guide on the bus was nice and informative, the castles were great, the restaurant included in the packaged served great food. It was a wonderful experience. Old Prague Hostel was wonderful. Nice staff, internet available, close to Old Town, breakfast included. We really liked it there. I am 51 and my son who travelled with me is 25 and we both liked it.

Worst: Wasteels Travel Agency
Why: Rude, unfriendly, at first said they couldn't sell us all our train tickets then reluctantly they did. They helped us as little as possible with a bad attitude.

Kris Berger in Whitewater, KS USA 07/17/2008

Worst: Prague Castle
Why: Not at all bad but my recommendation: just go see the St. Vitus Cathedral for free and skip the other castle sites. The castle itself was a joke compared to Tower of London, Castlenaud, etc. The cathedral was wonderful though and I got to meet the Prague Castle Orchestra, prominently shown in Rick's DVD on Prague and they were a fun bunch of guys.

Shonn in HdG, MD USA 06/28/2008

Best: tour of the Municipal House. Also Baroque libraries.
Why: It is an Art Nouveau treasure, with an entire room designed by Mucha. The restoration is beautiful with incredible architectural details. Basement beer hall/restaurant is fun too. Private guide Martin Belohradsky was first rate on architecture and gardens.

Brad Oswald in Waterford, NY USA 06/28/2008

Best: Mike's Chauffeur Service
Why: We used him three times and he was there every time on time. It was great to have a ride to Lida after a night train.

Steve in Overland Park, KS USA 06/26/2008

Best: The multi-place ticket in the Jewish Quarter
Why: It was not a place that we were in a rush to visit, and not only did the book's description sound interesting and important in a historical way, but the order in which you recommending doing things was great.

Worst: Old Town Square- Clock Tower
Why: You were right to say 'don't blink, or you will miss it,' but really it didn't even deserve the two triangle designation! See it because you are here, but don't make a huge effort to be there early.

Lisa Jensen in North Palm Beach, FL USA 06/25/2008

Best: Martin Belohradský Private Tour
Why: I took my girlfriend and parents to Prague and we took a tour from Martin. It was the highlight of the trip for us. He shared enough infomation with us and saw enough that it allowed us to free up time on our schedule to see other areas of Prague because he showed us so much. He does tours part time, so it was a real treat taking a tour with somebody who does it because he has a passion for his country. His attention to detail was appreciated, and if I ever go back, I will look him up again.

John Bray in Indianapolis, IN USA 05/13/2008

Best: Private Guide, Church Concert, Pub Crawl
Why: We booked a Velvet Revolution walk with Katerina (Katka)Svobodova. Our guide Irena Horakova was fantastic! I'd highly recommend getting a private guide. We did two walking tours with Prague Walks and their guides were not nearly as good.

We really enjoyed the Prague String Orchestra concert at St. Nicholas Church (the one in Old Town Square).

The pub crawl we booked through Prague Experience was really enjoyable. The guide's English wasn't great but the bars he took us to were very interesting. The food, beer and wine were all very good!

Worst: Laterna Magika, Good Morning Walk
Why: We saw the show Rendez-vous and it was horrible. Especially considering that we paid $45 for each ticket. It was like watching a high school rhythmic gymnastics routine.

I was disappointed with the Good Morning Walk (Prague Walks). Our guide's English was really bad and she was very disorganized. For example, she was surprised to find St. Vitus closed on a Sunday morning, even though that's standard.

Karis in Brookfield, WI USA 05/04/2008

Best: Charles bridge at night
Why: Like the most romantic theme park you could imagine

Worst: Mystic Cafe
Why: Many, many hidden charges and then a 15% fee on top of those charges. Charges for sitting outside, more for a small handful of soggy potato chips, 60 crowns for beer. Bill came and was even added up wrong to boot. Three different tables were complaining. These charges are not on menu which you have to beg for. They give you a plastic page with pictures and no prices. I asked about the charges having looked at the official menu and they said you have to ask about those charges in advance.

Bob in Sequim, WA USA 05/01/2008

Best: Sarka Kacabova and her team of Guides
Why: Sarka's service was wonderful. Thanks so much to Jana, our guide, for a wonderful, relaxed and extremely knowledgeable tour of Prague. Jana's English was excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed her company and felt that the tour was the best way to start our visit to Prague. We would highly encourage anyone visiting this city to start with a personal tour from Sarka and company. We had questions about everything from Prague history, to architecture, to communism ... and there was not a question that Jana could not answer. We asked and Jana recommended several pubs and restaurants that were great. She put a very personal touch on Czech life and her perspective was thoughtful and genuine.

Sarka's company provided excellent service. The schedule was flexible and accommodating, and she even helped arrange travel to and from the airport. Altogether, we felt that it was money truly well spent. Dekuji Jana.

Jill Peterson in Monroe, CT USA 04/11/2008

Best: Little Quarter
Why: Beautiful, charming, fewest tourists. Great for walking. Beautiful art galleries along the river.

Worst: Wenceslas Square
Why: Worth visiting once, and then retreating. Too many tourists and some really awful gelato places.

Meghan Lake in Los Angeles, CA USA 01/30/2008

Best: Athos Travel
Why: They were wonderful in helping to handle the rooms and also arranged for a large van to meet us at Holosvice when we arrived. We were a group of 8 traveling together from Vienna, and everything was handled excelently by the people at Athos. Great recommendation!!

Alan & Shelley Davis in Thornton, CO USA 01/23/2008

Best: A personal travel guide with Sarka's Prague Tours
Why: We booked a personal guide through Sarka. Andrea was our wonderful guide for the next two days. She told us all we wanted to know and didn't bore us with mundane facts. She was helpful in pointing out good places to eat and places to shop. Her English was immaculate and she was able to answer all our questions.

Worst: Jewish Quarter Tour
Why: I wouldn't say this was the worst by any means, but it was 3 hours of complete information overload. We used a different guide (also recommended by Steve) for this part of the tour. I enjoyed the sights, but I can't say there is a ton of knowledge that I took from here because I became bored. I also found it very expensive. I would have liked to stay with Andrea for this part as well instead of opting for another guide.

Leslie in Mathews, Italy 11/09/2007

Best: Mike's Chauffer Service in Prague
Why: Mike provided us with a driver to take us to some small villages near the Bavarian border. Our driver was fabulous, giving us service far beyond what we had hoped.

Ruth Konda in Arvada, CO USA 11/05/2007

Best: English map we bought at the airport
Why: The map, as a whole is very good. The best part was the tram markers on all the roads. We could easily ride all over town on the trams and see all the sights from above ground.

Linda Shuler in Indialantic, FL USA 10/10/2007

Best: Souveniors-Crystalex
Why: Super selection. Good prices.

Doug Stansbury in Saint Cloud, FL USA 09/29/2007

Best: Tram 22 tour- described in the book.
Why: It takes you through the city and stops at many of the favorite destinations.

Arlene Doskocil in Riverside , CA USA 09/19/2007

Best: St. Vitus Cathedral
Why: It was great but I would recommend getting there around 15 minutes before the doors open.

Worst: Wenceslas Square
Why: A little too much like NYC for my taste, but still enjoyable.

Ian Brotman in East Brunswick, NJ USA 08/22/2007

Worst: Prague taxi drivers remain thieves
Why: Nobody will go on the meter. Fixed price only. Despite your expereinces Rick, I believe Prague taxi drivers are thieves - and as such make a wonderful city much less enjoyable to visit.

Ken Lindsay in Granger, IN USA 08/15/2007

Worst: Czech rail service
Why: First class accomodations were on a car out of the Soviet era. Dirty, no ventilation in bad weather, no food or beverage available on a SEVEN HOUR trip from Prague to Salzburg. Don't use the loo in the station-type WC.

John Barrere in Fresno, CA USA 07/15/2007

Best: Sedlec Bone Church near Kutna Hora
Why: Absolutely fascinating to see all the ancient bones displayed with artistry and reverence. Not macabre at all. To my surprise and pleasure, just saw an enormous photo of one arrangement at an enormous traveling exhibit about the human body when the show, BodyWorlds, was in Portland, Oregon.

Lee Ann Bourcier in Yachats, OR USA 06/30/2007

Best: Taxis at prague rail station
Why: when we arrived at the rail station from Budapest we were tried but aware of the the gypsy taxis. after inquiring a price to take us to our hotel near the castle. we walked away and called AAA taxi. this was one you had recommeded and come to find out our hotel did as well. as we waited for the taxi to arrive we watched other american travelers also inquiring of the taxi prices. i could not believe what they were quoting....alost 3 times the amount we paid. thank you for the tip.

robin bradley in ft lauderdale, FL USA 06/08/2007

Worst: ORANGE MOON RESTAURANT
Why: The service people were obviously prejudiced against Asians. My sister, mother in law and I were treated very rudely, ignored and they just did not want to serve us at all when we were at their restaurant on May 14, 2007 at around 7 to 8 pm that night. I strongly feel that Orange Moon should be removed from your list of restaurants. All 3 service people in charge that night were the culprits who treated us badly (1 blonde waitress and 2 of the make waiters). They saw us standing at the door way and just plain ignored us and walked on by in front of us without even acknowledging out presence that we wanted to have dinner there.

Sarah Giam in San Jose, CA USA 05/31/2007

Best: We saw all and loved the city
Why: Prague is so beautiful, but I would not go in the Summer as we experienced two crowded days around the May 1st holiday and the bridge, Jewish Quarter and Old Town Square really lost a lot of their magic with crowds and that was probably nothing like in Summer.

Linda Ostapinski in San Diego, CA USA 05/26/2007

Best: Jewish Quarter
Why: I would never normally choose to go to something like these museums but on your recommendation, I did and it was exactly as you said- worth every precious travel minute and penny!

Jennifer Wild in Scottsdale, AZ USA 05/19/2007

Best: Walks in Prague
Why: Reserved the 8:00 AM grand tour walk and were the only four people to show up. Jana, the tour guide was quite well versed in the sights we were seeing and the small group made it easy to stop and look at things that caught our interest. This was on a Sunday so we could not get into St. Vitus due to mass but the rest of the tour was superb. Early enough that there were no huge crowds, even at the Castle.

Ken

Ken Culverson in Dalton, GA USA 05/10/2007

Best: Jana Reichlova tour guide, Mike's Chauffeur Service
Why: I just got back from a trip to Prague. I used Sarka Pelantova's assistant, Jana, and she was great! She personlized the tour in Prague for us, spoke wonderful English and was very knowledgeable about the history, sights, places to eat. I would highly recommend her. I also used Mike's Chauffeur service to get to and from the airport. It was so nice to have someone waiting for you at the airport. The trip went so much smoother. I would highly recommend him as well!

Worst: being overcharged at the florenc bus station in prague
Why: Definitely check the prices of tickets. we were charged double for 4 tickets to terezin from prague.

Jennifer in Jackson, ms USA 04/22/2007

Best: Enjoyed them all but could have spent more time at the Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral.
Why: The guide book was a huge help and very user friendly. We could have easily stayed longer than five days in Prague and the Czech Republic. Food and lodging and esp. the wonderful beer are so much cheaper in Prague than in Vienna where the euro is used. Getting around is a snap on the trams and metro and we even took the train to Kunta Hora with no problem. We went during Spring Break and a few sites were not open till April and the weather could have been a bit warmer but the lack of crowds at the sites more than made up for it.

Nina in Onaga, Ks USA 04/11/2007

Best: Mikes Chauffeur Service.
Why: We used Mike to get to and from airport. He not only was prompt and courteous, but he had to make a return trip to pick up our son who was arriving on another plane. Very accomodating.

John in Westlake, Oh USA 01/05/2007